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BUSINESS TRAVEL; MEMO PAD

By JOE SHARKEY

Published: February 1, 2005

A $50 VOUCHER IF YOU BEAT THEIR FARES -- American Airlines, the flagship carrier for AMR, is offering customers who book flights on its Web site a new guarantee of the lowest fare for flights on American, American Eagle and AmericanConnection. Starting today, customers who find a fare on another Web site that is $5 or more lower for the identical itinerary will be refunded the difference between that fare and the one on American's site, www.AA.com, with a $50 travel voucher thrown in.

TRAVELERS' TOP FEARS -- Americans dread getting sick or injured on the road more than any other travel threat, according to a survey commissioned by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Nearly three-quarters (73.5 percent) of 1,500 travelers questioned by Impulse Research of Los Angeles cited medical emergencies as their top concern, followed by the risk of being robbed (30.7 percent) and the fear of a terrorist attack (23.4 percent).

BYE-BYE BEDSPREAD -- The Marriott hotels are changing beds -- 628,000 of them. Marriott International says that by the end of this year beds at 2,400 hotels, operated under eight brand names, will be remade with triple sheets and plusher mattresses. Traditional bedspreads will be replaced by down comforters with removable duvet covers that will be freshly laundered for each guest visit.

FLIGHTS UP, FARES DOWN -- Average domestic fares fell 4.2 percent in 2004 over 2003, reflecting continuing downward pressure on revenues for domestic airlines, according to the Air Transport Association. However, most international fares went up. Average fares for domestic airlines on trans-Atlantic routes rose 5.6 percent, and on Pacific routes by 11.5 percent, the trade group said. The drops in average domestic fares started in 2001, when fares were 8.6 percent below the previous year. In 2002 and 2003, average fares declined 9 percent and 0.8 percent respectively. Meanwhile, airlines around the world operated nearly 2.25 million flights in January -- 88,000 more than in January 2002, according to OAG, a leading publisher of airline schedules. United States carriers accounted for almost a third of the additional flights, OAG said. JOE SHARKEY

Photo: J.W. Marriott, chief of the hotel chain that bears his name, dressed appropriately to show off the new linens and bed designs. (Photo by Matt Houston/Associated Press)

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